Skip to main content

LUCKY 7: PURPLE DISCO MACHINE

We found out about Purple Disco Machines most influential tracks...

German producer Tino Piontek aka Purple Disco Machine lives in Dresden, a small, quiet city a couple of hours away from Berlin. 

“It's really beautiful, we don't have a big music scene here, so I can do my music and no one really disturbs me,” he tell us after his return from a tour of Asia that took in Shanghai — “amazing gigs, and amazing crowds”.

Last month PDM's 'Where We Belong'/'No Lips' EP on Kitball arrived — a sparkling, good times-inducing release typical of his infectious style. That was closely followed by his co-produced EP with Teenage Mutants, coming on Stil Vor Talent, and a new tune forthcoming on Exploited. And then there's the matter of his first album. “I collected all the tracks I produced in the last two or three years, I've produced some new songs and I'm working out which ones fit best for me.” He's been taking his time putting it together, but when pushed on a release date he concedes that this summer it will probably see the light of day...

The track that reminds you of your childhood?
“One of my favourite artists is Phil Collins. From growing up, my music experience is from this artist. All the tracks of Phil Collins have really inspired me and been a big influence. It's hard to choose one track, I love everything from Phil Collins and Genesis as well. My dad was a musician and a fan of Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel. We listened to them all the time and he took me to concerts, and I spent a lot of time like that with my dad. I play guitar and keys, but I can't play drums. But for electronic music it should be enough.”

The first record that you ever bought?

 

“I think I bought the album from Michael Jackson, 'Thriller'. I think everyone is a fan of Michael Jackson.”

The cheesiest record in your collection?

“You know the band Scooter from Germany? This band is quite cheesy and I bought a lot of [their] vinyl from the '90s. But I still have it today. I have about four thousand in my studio. Sometimes I need one to record some beats. I'm listening to my old vinyl in my studio all the time. And sometimes I need them for ideas or influences. It's not so easy to buy now, most of the record stores have closed, but when I'm on tour in somewhere like Istanbul, I try to find a record store, and I always buy old vinyl from old artists like Marvin Gaye. I don't buy new songs.”

The track that’s guaranteed to make you cry?

“One of the most emotional soundtracks is from the film Drive. And for me, I love movies, but this is the best soundtrack in my opinion. It's so good. For me this is the most emotional. It's got a good selection of songs, it's perfect. When I love a soundtrack I watch the film two or three times, but I don't listen to soundtracks without seeing the film. A lot of soundtracks are really boring without the film, but this is really good to listen to.”

What's an album that you’re currently into?

“The best album from last year was from Jungle, called 'Jungle'. I've never listened to an album so often in a year. For me it's perfect music to listen to on the road and at home, and get into the right mood in the evening, it's really good.”

The record in your collection that you most treasure?

“That's a band called Space-Echo and the track is called 'Soul Power'. And it's one of the tracks that for one-and-a-half years I play every weekend. This track fits so much to me and my music and every set of mine — sometimes when I start a set, or in the middle or at the end. But this track is one of the best, and it's a perfect club track. It's groovy, it's funky. It works every weekend. I feel like this about my own music, it's really important that it makes people happy.” 

Your all-time favourite track of all-time?

“All-time favourite track? It's a good question. One of my favourite tracks is from Boris Dlugosch, it's 'Keep Pushing'. This came out in 1995, 20 years ago. It was one of the first tracks that I bought of electronic music and I still play it, I played it last weekend and it works.”